Football Movie Marathon #1: Brian's Song (1971)

Just to keep some content on the blog during the week, I am going to do a marathon of football movies, one a week, until week 17 of the NFL season. I don't do star ratings or anything, because I would just want to change them a week later, but I will keep a running list at the bottom of each weekly post, ranking all movies reviewed from best to worst.



Arguably the best and most famous made-for-tv movie ever made, Brian's Song is my pick to start this little marathon off.

The film stars James Caan (The Godfather) and Billy Dee Williams (The Empire Strikes Back) as Chicago Bears running backs Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers, and is based on a book cowritten by Sayers himself.

Sayers, obviously an all time great NFL running back, is an athletic marvel and a shoo-in to be the starting running back of the franchise. Piccolo however proves himself to be a real work horse and also makes the team as a running back. It is from here that the movie begins to lay out one of the better potrayals of friendship committed to the screen. The players room with each other for road games, despite it being very uncommon at the time for a white and a black player to share a room. Eventually, Piccolo moves from backup running back to starting full back, making the pair a force to be reckoned with on the field. The bond between the two assists them in enduring hardships. Sayers is injured badly and Piccolo is an inspiration for him to get back on his feet. When Piccolo comes down with cancer, Sayers is there by his side.

Overall, I really like this movie because I appreciate its honesty. Racism is obviously a prevalent issue in the setting of the movie, and is addressed in a way that never feels didactic (as it will be for future movies in the marathon). They also show a friendship forming properly and growing out of respect. The players bond the way guys actually bond. You know how you'll say shit to your friends that would be "crossing the line" if you just met somebody? The movie has moments like that that one can really appriciate...jokes about the other person's race, who is a better football player, etc.

Probably one of the few movies that guys are allowed to cry at while watching. I didn't of course. I'm a real man.




Marathon Movie Rankings
1. Brian's Song